Drones, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are mobile platforms capable of acquiring (e.g., sensing) information, delivering goods, manipulating objects, etc., in many operating scenarios. For example, drones can travel quickly, and without the physical limitations of ground based transport, to locations that are remote, dangerous, unable to be reached by human personnel, etc., or any combination thereof. Upon reaching such locations, drones can provide many benefits, such as acquiring sensor data (e.g., audio, image, video and/or other sensor data) at a target location, delivering goods (e.g., medical supplies, food supplies, engineering materials, etc.) to the target location, manipulating objects (e.g., such as retrieving objects, operating equipment, etc.) at the target location, etc. More recently, drones have been proposed as possible solutions for extending wireless network coverage to locations that have no existing network coverage, and/or that are experiencing weak or loss-of-signal conditions due to unexpected or planned network outages.
The figures are not to scale. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts, elements, etc.